← New search

1996 Toyota Celica

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
Compare all Celica years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 1 of 9 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints

3 reports
Clear category filter
500,000 miles · Mar 2, 2010
Service Brakes, HydraulicVehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury

THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN MY 1996 TOYOTA CELICA MALFUNCTIONED WHILE I WAS TRAVELING ON I-75 SOUTH NEAR PIQUA, OHIO. MY LANE OF TRAFFIC (PASSING LANE) WAS SLOWING DOWN DUE TO CONSTRUCTION, SO I ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN. TO MY SURPRISE, MY BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT RESPOND (EITHER DUE TO A MALFUNCTION OF EITHER THE CRUISE CONTROL OR…

Read full complaint

THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN MY 1996 TOYOTA CELICA MALFUNCTIONED WHILE I WAS TRAVELING ON I-75 SOUTH NEAR PIQUA, OHIO. MY LANE OF TRAFFIC (PASSING LANE) WAS SLOWING DOWN DUE TO CONSTRUCTION, SO I ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN. TO MY SURPRISE, MY BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT RESPOND (EITHER DUE TO A MALFUNCTION OF EITHER THE CRUISE CONTROL OR ACCELERATOR--OR BOTH), AND I HAD TO MOVE TO THE MEDIAN. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN I TRIED TO BRAKE AGAIN, THE BRAKES WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND THE MEDIAN ENDED. MY CAR TRAVELED AIRBORNE OFF THE MEDIAN AND PLUMMETED TO THE ROAD BENEATH I-75. MY CAR TOOK OUT A SET OF CABLE WIRES, JUMPED A FENCE, BEFORE LANDING ON THE BUSY ROAD BELOW AND STOPPED WHEN IT HIT A CONCRETE BRIDGE SUPPORT. AN AMBULANCE WAS CALLED AS WELL AS THE OHIO STATE HIGHWAY PATROL. EVERYONE INVOLVED WAS SURPRISED THAT MY PASSENGER AND I WERE NOT INSTANTLY KILLED! WE DID SUFFER SOME MINOR INJURIES AND THE CAR WAS TOTALED. I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER STEPPING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES TO NO AVAIL. I REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA AND THEY WERE INITIALLY VERY COOPERATIVE AND UNDERSTANDING. THEY WOULD NOT PROMISE ANYTHING, BUT ASKED WHAT I EXPECTED. I TOLD THEM I THOUGHT THAT TOYOTA SHOULD AT LEAST REPLACE MY CAR. THEY DID NOT SEE A PROBLEM WITH THIS. THEY LATER ASSUMED NO LIABILITY AND REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING. TO FOLLOW UP, I WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO COME UP WITH $25,000 TO HIRE AN ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTIONIST. I DID NOT HAVE THAT AMOUNT OF CASH, SO I DROPPED IT. I RECENTLY HAVE BEEN AMAZED IN READING SEVERAL COMPLAINTS VERY SIMILAR TO MINE AND THINK THAT THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR TOYOTA TO RIGHT WHAT WAS OBVIOUSLY A WRONG IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MY CAR. MY PASSENGER HAS SWELLING TO HER LEFT EYE THAT HAS HEALED, BUT I HAVE HAD PAIN IN MY ELBOW AND SHOULDER EVER SINCE. THANKS FOR LISTENING. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO ASSIST. I CAN NOT PROVIDE THE VIN #, AS THE CAR WAS TOTALED SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I LEFT THE NUMBER [XXX] AS THE VIN NUMBER. *TR INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S

NHTSA ODI #10315912

Mileage unknown · Sep 22, 1997
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

BROKEN BOLT ON THE BRAKE CALIPER.

NHTSA ODI #605139

Mileage unknown · Jun 19, 1996
Service Brakes, HydraulicCrashInjury

THE VEHICLE LOST ITS POWER BRAKES AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

NHTSA ODI #985834

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

DP02004 · Engine Seizure

Opened Apr 30, 2002 · Closed Jun 20, 2002

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling

No summary supplied.